On the eve of his retirement, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein takes a few moments out of his busy day to reflect on some past memories at the St Louis Hotel with old friend and biographer Don Martin. A favorite drinking spot when he was a TV reporter and later Mayor of Calgary he made his drinking spot a Calgary landmark sometimes bringing visiting business and political leaders with him for a quick beer.Leah Hennel
/ Calgary Herald

Alberta Premier Ralph Klein held up a paid in full sign after announcing Monday morning that the province's debt of $3.7-billion has been paid off in full ahead of schedule July 12, 2004Colleen DeNeve
/ Calgary Herald

The man who rose from humble beginnings to become a provincial political giant at the helm of Calgary and Alberta has died.

Ralph Klein, who served as premier from 1992 to 2006, died Friday at the age of 70.

“My beloved husband Ralph has slipped away after 42 years of marriage and 70 years of life,” his wife, Colleen Klein said.

“In his public life, while many will now debate what he stood for, he himself simply believed that public service was important, that it need not be complicated, and that it revolved around people,” she added, in a statement on behalf of the extended Klein family.

But Klein was also devoted to family, she said, calling their home his “sanctuary,” where politics “stopped at the door. If the public will love him for all the things he did for them, his family will forever love him for all the things he meant to us.”

The once-gregarious journalist and politician — who served as Calgary’s mayor from 1980 to 1989 — had been silenced by a form of dementia and was afflicted by chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder in recent years.

He was hospitalized in September of 2011 and had been living in a continuing care facility since October of that year.

Klein was surrounded by family and close friends at a Calgary care centre when he died, according to Alberta Health Services. He had recently suffered complications from pneumonia, according to the medical authority, which released a statement at the request of the former premier’s family.

Colleen Klein has asked the City of Calgary to make arrangements for services and memorial ceremonies.

Condolences poured in from around the country Friday.“Alberta and Canada have lost a unique and significant leader,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“While Ralph’s beliefs about the role of government and fiscal responsibility were once considered radical, it is perhaps his greatest legacy that these ideas are now widely embraced across the political spectrum.The Prime Minister added that though some described him as “King Ralph,” the Calgarian’s colourful political career made “Citizen Ralph,” an apt nickname. Harper called Klein “a man who said what he believed and did what he said.”

Premier Alison Redford said Friday she is saddened by the loss of Klein, calling his ability to connect with all Albertans “absolutely remarkable.”

“Ralph was a real man of the people,” Redford said.

“Ralph was a staunch defender of our province as he had a deep and abiding love for Alberta and Albertans. His vision and extraordinary political instincts provided Alberta with tremendous leadership for 14 years.”

Condolence books will be set up in government buildings across the province where Albertans can pay tribute to Klein, while online the premier said.

“As mayor, he had a tremendous impact on Calgary as a city government, helping shape both our policy and our culture. Ralph Klein taught us, as Calgarians, that we don’t need to put on airs. We don’t need to pretend we’re something we are not to be a truly great city in this world,” Nenshi said.

“His legacy surrounds us, and he will be sorely missed.”

While Ralph Klein was at times a controversial figure, he oversaw sweeping changes to the province and had a remarkable string of success in electoral politics.

Klein was born in Calgary in 1942 and spent most of his life in the city. Having never attended university, Klein entered the public eye as a radio and television reporter and made his name with coverage of city hall.

From there he launched a maverick — and successful — campaign to become the 32nd mayor of the oil-rich city in 1980.

Winning three elections for mayor, the last with a whopping 90 per cent of the vote, Klein introduced the city’s light-rail transit system, cleaned up the Bow River and helped host the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

In a 2000 interview, Klein said he liked being premier, but his true joy as a politician was serving as Calgary’s mayor.

“There is a greater closeness to the people when you’re mayor. You could almost have a love affair with the city,” he said.

Nenshi said recently he believed Klein would always be the mayor most identified with Calgary.

“We should celebrate this modern cosmopolitan system, the LRT system, all those things he helped build when he was mayor, including the building we’re standing in. All of these are things that we enjoy everyday,” he said.

In 1989, looking for new challenges, Klein accepted an offer from then-premier Don Getty to join the Progressive Conservative government. Elected in Calgary-Elbow, Klein was appointed environment minister.

But the bloom was off Alberta’s energy-fuelled boom and the Tory government was facing the problems of a lagging economy and mounting deficit and debts.

Getty announced in 1992 he would step down. Klein — after trailing Nancy Betkowski in the first round of voting — won on the second ballot to become leader of the PC dynasty and the province’s 12th premier.

Klein continued his winning ways in the 1993 provincial vote, leading the Tories to a come-from-behind victory over the Liberals.

It was the early years in office that did the most to establish the premier’s legacy — known in political circles as the “Klein Revolution.”

The Tory government slashed spending, cut programs, laid off workers and rolled back salaries in an aggressive bid to slay the deficit.

Former premier Ed Stelmach, who was first elected as an MLA in 1993 and served in four cabinet posts under Klein, said that Klein will always be remembered for his fiscal legacy.

But it is less recognized that many of those decisions — some controversial at the time — contributed to the quality of life Albertans enjoy today, he said.

With the economy rebounding and the province back in the black by 1995, thanks in part to rising energy prices, Klein was firmly ensconced in power. The Tories won sweeping victories in 1997 and 2001.

Klein’s popularity was bolstered with the public by his folksy manner, plain talk and his image as guy who liked a smoke and drink.

Don Martin, who covered Klein for the Herald and wrote the book “King Ralph” about him, said Klein had an innate connection with the public because “he was one of them.”

“There was no pretentiousness about Ralph Klein,” said Martin, now host of CTV’s Power Play in Ottawa.

“He preferred to hang out in pubs and he liked to bum smokes. He didn’t have any tolerance for the high trappings of political life. He felt far more comfortable with average Calgarians and average Albertans than he did with any of the Olympic royalty or the chief executive officers or senior politicians. He was just a normal guy in very unusual circumstances.”

But that rough-hewed persona also helped lead to several bumps along the way, from off-the-cuff comments to more serious missteps.

The most notable problem came in 2001, when an intoxicated Klein went to an Edmonton homeless shelter at night to see conditions for himself. When an argument broke out, Klein berated a homeless man and tossed money at him.

A tearful Klein admitted publicly he had a drinking problem.

There were more triumphs however, including the 2004 elimination of the provincial debt and another provincial election victory that year.

Klein said that would be his last campaign, but uncertainty over his planned departure date — and a growing sense of drift from the government — fuelled discontent in the party.

In a 2006 leadership review, Klein received the support of only 55 per cent of party members. A shocked Klein announced a few days later he would step down.

“I don’t feel betrayed. I feel disappointed,” he said at the time. “I’ve made my decision and it serves no purpose pointing fingers and laying blame.”

Out of political life, Klein became a consultant, a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Institute in Washington, D.C., and served the first term in the Ralph Klein journalism chair at Mount Royal University.

The former premier’s health was failing, however. His speech and memory began to weaken, and in 2010 he was diagnosed with the smokers’ lung condition emphysema.

In the spring of 2011, he learned he was suffering from “frontal temporal dementia, consistent with primary progressive aphasia.”

Colleen Klein said Friday it was difficult for the former premier to express his thoughts because of the nature of his illness, but “Ralph very much knew and appreciated the well wishes and warm messages he received,” she said, praising his caregivers for their help during his final days.

Stelmach said the diagnosis was “tragic,” noting that it was both his communications skills and his memory that made Klein such an effective politician.

NDP Leader Brian Mason — who squared off against Klein in the 2004 election and in the legislature — said it was hard to stay mad at Klein.

“We didn’t agree on many things but he was hard to dislike. He was quite charming and affable and interesting and he did what he thought was in the best interests of the province,” said Mason this week.“Even if you didn’t agree with his politics there is something to be said for his determination and enthusiasm,” said Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman Friday.

“He loved this province and no one before or since has had the ability to communicate with average, ordinary Albertans — as he affectionately called them ‘Martha and Henry’. People loved him for it.”Wildrose Official Opposition Leader Danielle Smith called Klein’s leadership in wiping out the budget deficit courageous.“As a leader, Ralph was tough enough to keep his promises, humble enough to admit his mistakes, and disciplined enough to follow through on his vision,” she said.

Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta president Jim McCormick lauded Klein as a strong leader, and good friend.

“Premier Klein stood tall as Leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, dedicated to serving every Albertan,” McCormick said.

“He will forever remain a symbol of our Party’s strength in his ability to tackle challenges head on and to speak frankly to Albertans.”While Klein faded from public view, his legacy has been much in the news of late as Redford’s Tory government — facing a major financial shortfall — announced plans in the new provincial budget to again take on debt to pay for needed capital projects.

In last year’s provincial election, Redford fended off accusations that she had disparaged Klein by suggesting she was dealing with the consequences of the former premier’s cost-cutting.

“I have always said that I believe Premier Klein was a fantastic premier, very effective for the times,” she told reporters in April, 2012.

“One of the things we’ve always done well as Progressive Conservatives is understood what Albertans’ hopes and dreams were for the future. And Premier Klein was a tremendous premier in knowing exactly what we needed to do to get our fiscal house in order.”

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